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Slovakia: Fico will 'still pull strings' as protests intensify

The Slovak prime minister has resigned amid a political crisis triggered by the murder of a journalist. Protests have swept the country, and researcher Milan Nic told DW there is little sign they will subside.

Milan Nic: I agree with the view that Fico left in order to stay. His resignation is a shrewd political move driven by his desire to retain power. In Peter Pellegrini, he has a puppet prime minister but stays chairman of the ruling party. He will pull the strings from behind and he will be still the strongest power broker in the country. His business model of governing will stay in place. A similar thing happened at the Interior Ministry. Robert Kalinak resigned, but will be replaced by someone who will obey his commands. All in all it is about the model of a captured state which relies on Robert Fico as the main the political manager.

Captured state is a quite strong notion.

It is fair to say that there is a captured state in Slovakia as far as law enforcement is concerned. Police investigators, the prosecutor's office and parts of the judiciary are definitely not independent, but politically-controlled.

Slovak PM Fico offers resignation

You said that Peter Pellegrini will be a puppet prime minister. In his capacity as minister for investment and IT, he is to a certain extent responsible for the misuse of public and EU money, but he personally was not involved in any corruption scandals. Is there any chance he will act independently?

I am skeptical. Pellegrini secured top political positions thanks to his business connections within Fico´s SMER party. It's true he was always decent, but does not have his own power base. I think Robert Fico can be sure that Pellegrini will follow his advice.

Ten days ago, Slovak President Andrej Kiska said the country needed snap elections or at least a completely restructured government. This won't happen after Kiska accepted the conditions Fico made when he announced his resignation. Did Kiska not have other options?

Kiska did what he had to. When the parliamentary majority puts together a solution there is nothing much he can do. He acted in line with the Constitution. He will remain an important figure. The big question is whether he will run for president again next year or not. Originally, everyone expected him not to continue due to personal reasons. But the murder of [investigative journalist] Jan Kuciak changed everything. If he doesn´t run for president next year then the field is wide open and it's not clear where the country is heading and how strong the extremists will be.

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Slovakia – divided country

Slovak corruption: So much smoke, there must be fire

On the other hand, the current protests for more democracy and good governance are the biggest since Slovakia was founded in 1993. Does that not offer hope?

This is the positive side of the whole affair. Nothing similar happened in Malta when blogger and journalist Daphne Caruana was murdered last autumn. In Slovakia a visible and very sizeable part of society supports Europe, modernization, more transparency, a decent state in which corruption is tackled and a more open country. They are demanding; they are impatient; they are politically quite mature and mobilized at a time when we have divided societies across Europe. But they are waiting for their Macron. The worst thing that could happen is a lack of a forward-looking political solution, rising frustration. A more systematic assistance and small intervention from Europe could help.

What kind of intervention?

It's very good that the European Parliament sent a delegation to Slovakia. They wrote a good report, had a debate about it in the plenary session, but the question is how they will follow it up. For instance, will they initiate renewal of annual reports on corruption in member states by the Commission? This is not only about Slovakia, but about the ability of European institutions to adapt to new realities in societies where there is much distrust towards political institutions.

So what exactly could European institutions do now for Slovakia?

Let's just take the murder case of Kuciak. This could be a starting point for Europol and the European prosecutor's office setting up joint investigation with Slovak authorities. The new EU budget could have special program to support investigative journalists and civil society organizations working on anti-corruption or rule of law issues.

Slovakia protest largest since 1989 anti-communism rallies

Biggest protests since 1989

Slovakia has witnessed its largest protest since anti-communism rallies in 1989, with an estimated 50,000 gathering in the capital, Bratislava. The reason: the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée. Their murders sent shockwaves across the country and the EU. Kuciak was working on a story linking businessmen operating in the country with the Italian Mafia before his death.

Slovakia protest largest since 1989 anti-communism rallies

'Enough of Fico'

The protesters have demanded Prime Minister Robert Fico and the rest of his government resign. According to Kuciak's last unfinished story, one of the businessmen had worked with two people who worked in Fico's office. Although the men have resigned and denied any links, Slovak citizens are frustrated at the government's failure to tackle corruption in the country, chanting "Enough of Fico."

Slovakia protest largest since 1989 anti-communism rallies

Growing frustration

Kuciak's murder has pushed growing frustration to a fever-pitch, with protesters saying the government can't be trusted to properly investigate the crime. "Politicians in power have lost our trust," said one of the protesters. "We don't trust them to guarantee an independent investigation. They have failed to investigate all previous scandals."

Slovakia protest largest since 1989 anti-communism rallies

Crisis of trust

Slovak President Andrej Kiska, considered a political rival of the prime minister, said the country is facing a crisis of trust. He has called on the government to reconfigure its three-party coalition or face early elections. But that's not what protesters have demanded. Instead, demonstrators have called for a "new trustworthy government."

Slovakia protest largest since 1989 anti-communism rallies

'Last story'

Analysts believe Fico is unlikely to make out of the ensuing political crisis. Martin Slosiarik of the Focus polling agency told Reuters news agency. "Kuciak's last story has had a serious impact on people's trust in the system of government, and the murder of two young people has added a strong moral aspect," said Slosiarik. ls/sms (Reuters, dpa)

Isn't the situation in Slovakia after the murder case also about a transition which, in many respects, went wrong for millions of people while a small elite managed to get rich and keep its power?

Yes, in a way. Ironically, Fico's SMER party is a coalition of various constituencies. It is a populist center-left party which nominally represents the losers of transition, is also the backbone of corruption and the platform of the richest people and the oligarchs in Slovakia who want to make sure that the money of public investments goes to their pockets. But now many people are very dissatisfied with this situation and I'm not sure whether Fico's party can really survive this in a long-run.

Where do you think will Slovakia is headed?

There is more than meets the eye in Slovakia right now. On the one side there is this optimistic civic movement. The risk is, it could go terribly wrong like everywhere in Europe. Traditional parties lose ground, extremism grows. Especially if the political system cannot produce solutions. I am afraid that the only real option left for Robert Fico and his SMER party is to radicalize. But it is still open-ended, and very hard to say what politics will look like in 2020.

Milan Nic is a senior fellow in the Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia at the German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP). He previously headed the Europe program at the GLOBSEC Policy Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Slovaks pay tribute to murdered journalist Jan Kuciak

Thousands pay tribute

Around 20,000 Slovaks have rallied in the capital, Bratislava, in sub-zero temperatures for murdered investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend, Martina Kusnirova. Their deaths have shaken the country and led to calls for the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico to bring the killers to justice.

Slovaks pay tribute to murdered journalist Jan Kuciak

'An attack on all of us'

Marching behind a banner saying "An attack on journalists = an attack on all of us," many people walked in silence, holding candles. Others held up photographs of the two victims, both 27, who were shot dead in their Bratislava home in last weekend.

Slovaks pay tribute to murdered journalist Jan Kuciak

First documented journalist death

Kuciak was the first journalist to be killed in Slovakia, according to Reporters Without Borders. He was about to publish an article exposing alleged links between the Italian mafia and businessmen operating in eastern Slovakia. His unfinished investigation was published posthumously on Wednesday.

Slovaks pay tribute to murdered journalist Jan Kuciak

Political pressure

Slovak police on Thursday detained several Italian businessmen named by Kuciak in his report, which contained allegations of abuse of EU subsidies and other fraud. One man mentioned in the article had alleged ties to people working for the prime minister. The case has put mounting pressure on Fico, with some protesters calling for his government to resign.

Slovaks pay tribute to murdered journalist Jan Kuciak

Solidarity across Europe

Similar marches were also held in more than 20 other Slovak cities, as well as in London, Paris and Brussels. Above, people light candles in memory of Kuciak in front of the Slovak embassy in the Czech capital, Prague.

Slovaks pay tribute to murdered journalist Jan Kuciak

Call for change

Kuciak's death has fueled public anger over media freedom and graft in Slovakia. Transparency International ranks the country as the seventh most corrupt EU member. "We live in a mafia state," student Jan Kubis told AFP. "They were not much older than I am. Something must change in Slovakia."

Slovaks pay tribute to murdered journalist Jan Kuciak

Tragic end

Kuciak and his girlfriend, Martina Kusnirova, had planned to get married in May. Kusnirova was laid to rest in her wedding gown during a ceremony on Friday in the northern Slovak town of Gregorovce. Kuciak's funeral will be held on Saturday in Stiavnik, near the Czech border.